56 Words
by Ollywood3
Summary: 56. That’s how many words it took to break Blair Waldorf. 57. That’s how many things Chuck Bass is going to do to make it right. B/C. Set after 1/13.
1. Redemption

**56 Words**

**56. That's how many words it took to break Blair Waldorf. 57. That's how many things Chuck Bass is going to do to make it right. B/C. Set after 1/13.**

I'm writing this fic because I really just wanted Chuck to hear those words again, know how Blair felt. Also, because I definitely think this whole 'save the day' thing he's got going on in later episodes is because he's trying to make himself worthy of Blair. Also, because Blair and Chuck were meant to be, obviously.

Hope you enjoy!

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"Who the hell does he think he is?" Blair fumed to herself, tapping loudly on the door to room 1812.

The door opened slowly and Blair was met with an _incredibly _disheveled Chuck Bass, one hand rubbing the back of his neck, as he looked at her in bewilderment.

"Blair?" he questioned, obviously confused.

Blair took a deep breath, averted her eyes from his shirtless figure, and slapped him across the face _hard._

"Blair! What the hell!" Chuck yelled clutching his cheek and messing up his already untidy hair in the process.

"How dare you!" Blair shrieked, after she was sure to shut the door behind her so no one would hear.

Chuck's eyes clouded over even more as she yelled, "I am not a whore, Bass!"

"What are you talking about, Waldorf?" Chuck asked

Blair gasped and shrieked again, "I'm not! I can't believe you! After everything…and then last night I really needed you…and…"

"No one insults a Waldorf and gets away with it," Blair finished determinedly, the rage evident in her eyes.

"Blair," Chuck said slowly, carefully after her outburst, "last night was kind of a blur…"

Blair could feel her lower jaw drop open, "You don't…don't remember?"

She slowly stopped when he sheepishly nodded, but then she shot him an icy glare, "Your actions and words hurt me so badly that I almost left for France and you don't even fucking remember?"

Her words were too cold, too detached; it scared him that she cursed, Blair Waldorf never cursed, cursing was for the lower classes. Chuck tentatively reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Blair screamed, once again fiery, jumping back out of his reach.

'your actions'…'hurt me so badly'…'don't touch me'….

The words all ran together in Chuck's mind and his eyes filled with fear, he couldn't believe that even when he was beyond drunk he would ever physically hurt Blair, but he _really _couldn't remember what happened last night.

"Blair," he said weakly, discreetly looking her body over for marks, "I didn't…"

"No, Bass," Blair said, a little more gently as she recognized the look in his eyes, "but you might as well have."

_France._ Chuck stiffened as he realized the implication of her earlier words and of what he did, whatever it was. _'Breaking up with Nate didn't make her want to run.'_ Sometimes Chuck hated his conscience.

"What did I do Blair," Chuck questioned seriously.

Blair visibly weakened and said softly, "You really don't remember. I was so angry when I came here, and you don't even know why."

Chuck wished she was back to screaming and hitting him, he couldn't take her quiet defeat.

"What did I do," Chuck repeated, more urgently this time, "I need to know, Blair."

"Well not everything's about what you need, Bass," she said, putting back up her walls as she appeared to head for the door.

Chuck quickly grabbed her hands and pulled her back, "Not so fast, Waldorf," he said, smirking as he saw her get angry once more.

"Let go of me," Blair said indignantly, "I'm through talking to you. For good."

Now, Chuck just couldn't have that.

He realized that she looked like she was about to kick him, so he swiftly raised her hands above her head with his and pushed her back against the wall, blocking her legs with his own.

"Now, tell me what happened," Chuck said with his trademark smirk.

"Don't make me relive it, Chuck," he stiffened at her use of his first name and at the look of hurt (and was that fear?) in her eyes.

Chuck couldn't handle this, this wasn't his Blair Waldorf. And he knew it was all his fault.

"Come on, Blair," he pleaded, loosening his grip on her hands just a little, "I need to know what I did, so I can fix this."

"You said…you said," Blair took a deep breath, willing herself not to show him how affected she was by the memory, "I came to see you at the Palace bar after everything that happened yesterday, after you told Gossip Girl, after Nate and all my friends dumped me."

Chuck could feel his chest tighten as he thought silently, "She came to me, after everything I'd done. She forgave me."

"I told you," Blair continued, barely above a whisper, "that everybody had deserted me, and like you wanted I had no one to turn to but you. And you said…you…"

Blair broke off, and Chuck could tell she was trying so hard not to cry. His stomach dropped, and he began to think that he really didn't want to hear it.

"You said, _'Actually you don't even have me_'."

Blair heard Chuck's loud intake of breath, and she wished she could make herself angry again.

She tentatively continued, not looking him in the eye, "I told you to stop it. God how I wish you had. You said, _'I'll try to be more succinct. You held a certain fascination when you were beautiful, delicate, and untouched. But now you're like one of the Arabians my father used to own, rode hard and put away wet'_."

How she wished she could hate him, anything so that her voice dripped with loathing instead of raw hurt. She didn't chance a look at him, but she could hear his breathing become more ragged. She wondered if he was remembering, if he was realizing that he really meant those words, if he thought it was all true.

Chuck had never wanted to kick someone's ass as badly as he wanted to kick his own right then. He heard her voice stumble over his cold, cruel words and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms, but he knew she would never again accept his comfort.

She knew she had to finish this so he would release her so she could leave and not look back this time.

"Then," her voice faltered but she continued, "then you said, '_I don't want you anymore, and I can't see why anyone else would'_."

Blair managed to keep the strangled cry from rising from her throat, but she was unable to keep the single tear from escaping her eyes, like it had all the times she had replayed his words after she left the bar.

When Chuck didn't respond, Blair said, so forcefully she even surprised herself, "Let me go now. I know when I'm not wanted, it's clear you meant what you said."

"Drunken men's words are always a reflection of the heart, right?" Blair said bitterly, trying to push him off of her.

Chuck finally spoke up softly, looking at the floor, "Why did you stay?"

"Serena." Blair replied and Chuck nodded slightly, silently thanking his soon to be stepsister, "she reminded me that no matter what you took from me, what you said, what everyone thinks, I'm a Waldorf and Waldorfs don't run."

The effort of trying to believe her own words, trying to put up a strong front was too much for Blair. Her body slacked and Chuck lost his grip on her hands as she collapsed on the floor, her back against the wall and her head in her hands.

Chuck was more scared than he had ever been. He had seen social devastation upon social devastation, having caused most of them, but he had never seen anyone look so utterly broken.

He knew Blair would kill him for seeing her like this, if she could, but he couldn't just leave her. He knelt down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. She tensed but didn't have the strength to push him away, she needed someone so much right now, and he drew her head in to rest on his chest.

As she sobbed quietly, a contradiction only Blair Waldorf was capable of, Chuck wondered how he could have possible done this to her. He couldn't come up with a single justification for his actions, and he knew that it was because there wasn't one. 56 words. His 56 drunken words at the Palace bar, and now his Blair was broken. And it was damn well up to him to fix it.

"I'm not a whore," Blair repeated softly into his chest between ragged breaths.

"No," Chuck said his chin resting on the top of her head, "you could never be."

"Why did you say it?" And there was that one, barely choked out little question Chuck had been so set on avoiding.

"I don't have an answer to that, Blair," Chuck replied, sadly, and Blair pulled herself out of his arms, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Then I don't have a reason to be here," she said, hurriedly standing up.

"Blair," he called, scared that if she left now he would lose his last chance.

"Note," Blair said, her voice regaining some of its former venom, "that I will make every single one of them pay, including you, and then I will regain my throne but whatever we had is dead to me, forever, you killed it at the Palace bar."

"I didn't mean it Blair," Chuck said softly.

"Don't do this to me," Blair warned through gritted teeth, her resolve slowly weakening.

"Blair, you could never not be beautiful," Chuck said, finally looking her in the eyes, "even now with tear stains on your cheeks you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Blair closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from believing him.

"And I could never not want you," his voice said, deepening, "no matter what I said last night, I will always be there for you, and you will always have me."

Blair kept her eyes shut, she knew if she opened them she would see the honesty in his own, and she just couldn't handle that.

"Blair," Chuck murmured, now inches away from her. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He was far too close, far too shirtless, and far too _Chuck Bass_. Her eyes finally flew open.

"I'm going to fix this," he declared solemnly, though he knew there was nothing he could do that would take back those words, "That may have been my drunken attempt to kill the butterflies, but you should know that it didn't work, Blair. Nothing ever could."

"Please forgive me," Chuck pleaded, a once in a lifetime occurrence for a Bass.

Blair's eyes connected with his, and she knew she couldn't deny him even if she tried. She nodded once then quickly turned and left his suite.

Chuck sighed as he went to pour himself a glass of scotch, but then thought better of it. He quickly dressed, arranging his trademark scarf, and then left to head for Tiffany's and then Brooklyn, intent on buying Blair the most expensive thing in the store and then digging up some dirt for some total social destruction.

The romantic spewing may have been necessary and true, but he had a lot of things to buy and a lot of spirits to crush in order to make things right.

He was, after all, still a Bass.

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Review and there shall be more!


	2. The Blair Bitch Project

Okay, fast forward to the next school day, or the start of the Blair Bitch Project in relation to the show. Twists all around! And other characters! Let me know how you feel.

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Serena quickly wiped the yogurt out of Blair's hair as she looked up in shock at Jenny and the other girls laughing.

Chuck's mouth _almost_ fell open in surprise and rage as he watched the scene from his secluded position on the steps, barely believing that anyone would be stupid enough to drop dairy on the head of a Waldorf. What, was Jenny suicidal?

"This just won't do," Chuck thought with a smirk as the rest of the student body laughed, and Blair and Serena hurriedly fixed her hair. He looked down at the cup of coffee in his hands and hurriedly started to move.

Serena glanced up just in time to see a trailing scarf pass behind the girls, as a cup of steaming hot brown liquid was overturned on the top of Jenny's head. The rest of the girls whipped around when they realized what had happened, but no one was there. Serena hurriedly whispered to Blair.

The whole school watched as Jenny wailed and Blair smirked, all realizing that it was only a matter of time. There could be only one Queen B.

* * *

As Jenny quickly tried to fix her ruined hair and clothes, Blair and Serena sat regally down on the steps to discuss the morning's events.

"So, Chuck?" Serena asked, still partially amused.

"We made up last night," Blair replied, "or at least I think we did. And, I mean, how could I not forgive him after what he did this morning…that was too perfect."

The best friends grinned at each other before Serena's face darkened, "Just be careful, B. I mean if you want to reclaim your throne you are going to need those girls behind you. You're going to have to play nice for a while."

Blair sighed and quickly turned as a slightly less tear and coffee stained Jenny approached.

"Serena, I know you're busy with Dan tonight, but Blair would you like to meet up with us at Butters later?" Jenny asked, looking almost timid.

"Ah!" Serena shouted happily, "She would love to! Yay Butters!"

Blair just nodded at Jenny and rolled her eyes at Serena's antics, the poor naïve bad girl turned good never could smell a set-up.

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Blair sat down at the table at Butters, almost allowing herself to believe for a minute that everything was going her way, the girls would show up soon, and she could easily begin her rise back to the top.

15 minutes and one Gossip Girl post about Blair sitting all alone later, and Blair knew she was right not to trust Jenny in the beginning.

'C, I need you,' Blair quickly texted.

'Already on my way, B.' Chuck replied from the back of his limo, and he was, he just had to make a few stops first.

10 minutes later Blair stood quickly, hardly believing her eyes as Chuck and three very familiar St. Jude boys strolled in.

"Ben!" Blair said happily as the first, a tall and thin boy with white-blonde hair and light blue eyes walked in and gave her a hug.

"Hey Blair," Ben drawled with a grin, sitting down to her left.

"How are you?" James, a tan and muscled boy with dark brown hair and freckles asked, hugging her and then also sitting.

"Better now," Blair replied, almost breathless in her excitement, "Ronnie?!"

"Blair," Ronnie , a dimpled, dirty blonde said smoothly as he kissed Blair on the cheek.

Chuck walked in last, simply winking at Blair as he plopped down at the head of the table.

"So you guys are still talking to me? You don't think I'm…" Blair trailed off delicately.

"For _that_, Blair? You must be kidding," James said, "I've got two girls per week, minimum, and you know how I hate hypocrisy."

"And unlike those Constance bitches, we don't so easily forget," Ben said, "Remember that time you took down Jessica Pomarno, just because she dumped me?"

"Jessica who?" Ronnie asked.

"Exactly," Ben continued with a grin, "I still owe you for that one, Blair."

"Besides, we hate your 'successors' almost as much as we like you, and we owe this guy," Ronnie said, jerking his thumb at Chuck, who smirked lazily, "even more. I don't even want to think about the amount of trouble he's gotten us into and then simultaneously out of. If Chuck's on your side, you know nothing could keep us away, B."

Blair gave them all a genuine smile as she whipped out her phone.

"Now, what are we getting?" James asked, looking at the menu and grinning, "It's on me, Blair."

"No, it's okay, I've got Blair," Ronnie said, looking at his own menu.

"Gentleman, gentleman," Chuck chimed in with a smirk, "the lady is on me."

Blair positively beamed.

Meanwhile, Jenny, Hazel, and Penelope all checked their phones as they got a simultaneous text from Blair saying, 'Thanks for the reservation!".

"Who does she think she's kidding…" Penelope said snottily, interrupted by their phones beeping again.

**It seems we spoke too soon. Spotted: B at Butters with four of St. Jude's **_**finest**_**, including C. Careful girls, the bitch is back, and it looks like she's got a whole new royal court. Xoxo, Gossip Girl.**

All three girls mouths dropped wide open.

And back at Butters, the table checked their phones, simultaneously smirked, and Chuck raised his glass in a toast. Blair grinned as Chuck surreptitiously winked again at her.

Oh yeah, the bitch was definitely back.

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Let me know what you think, especially about the boys! Whether you think they are a good idea or not will determine how much of the next chapters they are in! Oh, and don't worry…none of them would dare get in the way of Blair/Chuck...I think. ;D


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